A New Life
by Leia Belle Organa
Summary: Elena's new thoughts on life. Can she really leave Stefan? Will she regret her choice? Elena must now face her true feelings.
1. A Changed Life

Chapter 1: A Changed Life

Elena lied on the hallway floor for what seemed like an eternity. She knew what she had just done, using the cure to once and for all end Katherine. She saved her life. Katherine surely would have killed her. She got what she wanted, Katherine dead, or at least close to being dead. Yet, Elena knew she had used the only cure, she could never be human. "_It was worth _it," she told herself. She turned her head to see Katherine still lying beside her, unconscious. "Hah," she chuckled, as she pushed herself up.

"_Well, Katherine, I do hope you enjoy your human life_," Elena said to herself, as she started to walk away. Her thoughts kept repeating what was said between her and Stefan. "_Everything single thing I did to get this, I did for you._" "_So that the choice of whether you choose to be a vampire or not, would always be yours_," she could hear Stefan's words race through her. "_Even when he could take it and be free of vampirism, he still chose me instead of himself_." Elena thought on. "_After all we've been through, he had never stopped caring for me_." "_He stills loves me_!" _"I don't think he'll ever stop_!" "_Why did I chose to let him go_?!" "_Why did I again, race back to Damon_?!" Elena scolded herself.

"_I was only drawn to Damon, because Stefan was gone_." "_He was acting differently, a kinder, sweeter person, and I treated him as I would Stefan." "That night on the porch…so long ago…instead of Damon, I felt Stefan comforting me and kissing me_." "_So I naturally kissed him back_." "_Damon has always been like a close friend or a brother_ _to me_." "_Then that horrible sire bond overcame me_!" "_Damon had been messing with my thoughts all along_!" "_Now that the bond is gone, I still see the "Stefan" inside of Damon, but that proves that I do not love him_!" "_I love Stefan_!" "_The only reason I gave him the cure was to pay him back for all I had put him through_." "_I hurt him too much for him to ever take me back…much less forgive me_." "_I must find him_!" "_I must let him know how I truly feel_!" Elena finished, as she raced out of the hallway.

Elena walked outside, the moon was still semi-bright. She walked over to her car and unlocked the doors. (Snap!) She turned around, she knew she had heard something. "_Katherine_?!" "_No, it couldn't be, she is now human, she cannot use vampire tactics anymore_." She saw a shadow emerge from the trees, to Elena's surprise, the shadow emerged into Stefan.

"Stefan?" Elena called out. He turned, and saw her, yet he kept on walking. "Stefan!" Elena screamed, as she raced after him. "Stefan, please, I need to talk to you!" He suddenly stopped, Elena was right behind him. "What do you want?" He hissed. "Stefan, I want to talk to you, I need to tell you something I should have told you ages ago," Elena stammered.

"And that would be…" Stefan replied. Elena sighed, "That I still love you, and I always will!" "From the moment I said that I loved Damon, I regretted it." "It's you who I have always loved and needed." "I can't live without you!" she cried out.

"You would have given me the cure…how exactly can we have a future if I'm human and you're not?" Stefan snapped. Elena mumbled, "Because, after all I have done to hurt you, it was the least I could do." "I knew that we could never recapture what we once had, but I never wanted to loose you." "When I asked to speak with you, I wanted to just throw my arms around you tell you how much I still love you."

She could see Stefan laughing. "Why are you laughing?!" "_Something is wrong, Stefan never acted like this, I just saw him only hours ago_." Then it hit her…"_The veil was broken, Silas could have escaped Bonnie's spell_." "You're not Stefan!" Elena shouted. She saw him turn around. "My, you are a smart one," he teased. "Where is he?!" Elena lashed out, she suddenly felt the strength to tear it out of him. "Silas, I demand to know!"

"Why are you using Stefan's shadow, you're obviously free from Bonnie's spell," Elena spoke out. Silas laughed, "I am now my true self." "This is the shadow I have left." Elena eyes were widened by those words. "Your boyfriend is my shadow!"

Elena gasped in horror, "Stefan is a doppelgänger!" How?!" "There must be more than one curse!" "You know witches, they always have a spell loophole for everything," Silas replied. "Where is he?!" Elena screamed. Silas just sneered at her, "He's in the river, where your friends intended to put me, and I beat him to it." "No!" Elena cried. "Don't worry, I'll take you to him," Silas smiled. Elena looked as Silas blinded her, then all went blank.


	2. Damon's Emotions

Chapter 2: Damon's Emotions

Damon sat on the sofa in the parlour. His thoughts drifted back to what had just happened. "_She loves me_!" "_There is no more doubt now_!" Yet, he still felt utterly chagrinned by how Elena had put her feelings into words…"_That doesn't stop how much still I love you_." "_Did she really mean that_?" "_Or, am I still her second choice_?" "_It's always going to be Stefan_, _regardless of what_ _she says_!" Damon finished, as he sat up.

Damon saw his cell phone on the desk, he knew he had to call Elena, and find out her true feelings for him and for Stefan. He picked up his cell phone to try and reach her. The phone rang and rang. "Damn it!" He shouted. "Elena, pick up your phone!" "_This is Elena, I'm sorry I missed your call, please leave a message_," the voicemail mimed. "Perfect, just perfect," Damon sarcastically, joked.

He sat back down in disgust. "_Stefan is gone_!" "_Elena is gone_!" "_Maybe they ran into each other, and finally professed their undying love for each other_," he thought to himself.

There was sudden, loud knock on the door. "Alright, who could that be?!" Damon hissed. "_Elena and Stefan don't knock, who else could it be_?" He walked to the door, and opened it. He saw Jeremy standing on the porch, breathless. "Well...well, Jeremy, what a surprise." "I'm sorry that you wasted your time, Elena is not here, in fact she went looking for you," Damon snapped out. "Speaking of which, you're still here, is the veil broken, or do you have more time?" he continued.

"I don't need to worry about the veil…I'm alive!" Jeremy hissed back. Damon raised his eyebrows, "What?!" "Bonnie, used her last spell to bring me back," Jeremy answered. "What…what do you mean by "last spell"?" Damon questioned. Jeremy bent his head down. "She's dead, isn't she?" Damon reasoned. "Yes, I did not know it at the time, the spell was too much for her," Jeremy explained.

"Then that means that Silas is free of the spell, he is still out there!" Damon shouted, then he suddenly stopped, "_Stefan was going to take care of Silas's body, he is now in danger, maybe Elena too_." "We've got to hurry, Jeremy," Damon ordered, as he and Jeremy quickly got into Damon's car and drove off in a flash.

"Do you know where they could be?!"Jeremy cried. "No, but I know where Stefan was going," Damon replied. This was too much for him to handle, so much for being sentimental over Elena, and her feelings for him, now he had to save his brother and Elena yet again.


	3. Elena's Rescue

Chapter 3: Elena's Rescue

Elena awoke, and she sat up from the ground. She looked at her surroundings. "Well…well, look who finally decided to wake up," Silas said, mockingly. Elena turned her head to face him. "Where am I?!" she screamed. "You're where Stefan is…I thought that's what you wanted," Silas replied. "Guh!" Elena gasped, as she looked and saw a ledge. "Oh my God!" "Stefan is down there!" "You threw him there!" she cried, as she raced to attack Silas, only to be tossed aside. "You cannot expect it to be that easy," he laughed.

"Elena, if you want to save Stefan, have at it!" Silas finished. "I won't stop you." "Although, he might be paralyzed by now," Silas laughingly, snapped. Elena glared at him, as she pushed herself up. She walked over to the ledge and stared at the lake. "_Stefan, I will save you_!" she said to herself.

Elena turned around and Silas was gone. "Oh God, where is he now?!" "He just left me here!" "Good, I can now save Stefan, without him taunting me!"

Elena remembered how Damon had saved her. He pushed her and himself off the bridge into the lake. She remembered him saying: "_Vampires hate water_!" "_Can I still swim_?!" "_I have to_!" she finished, as she jumped off the ledge into the lake.

The water was freezing cold. Elena could see only darkness. Fortunately for vampires, their eyesight is not affected by water. She swam deeper and deeper into the water. She made out a red safe, submerged between two boulders. "_That must be it_!" Elena thought.

She swam over to it and began trying to open the safe. The lock simply would not budge. Elena tried harder and harder, knocking on it, as hard as she could, hoping Stefan would hear.

Just as Elena was about to loose hope, she heard a knocking sound back. "_Thank God_!" She now had the strength to rip the door off its hinges. She prayed that Stefan was not hurt or in pain. But, the lock was still too strong for her to budge it.

Elena's strength was withering, she soon started to sink lower. "_It's hopeless_!" "_I can't save him, or myself_!" Elena thought on. Yet, she felt that this was better though, she loved Stefan with all her heart, as he loved her with all of his. "_At least we're together now_." "_We'll die together_."

Yet, Elena could not give up, Stefan had always wanted her to feel alive and to live. She could not just give up, she had to try just once more, for Stefan! She pulled with all her might, and the hinge suddenly broke off. Elena looked inside and saw Stefan. Their eyes met, as she pulled him out. Stefan was barely conscious, Elena did not know if she could get them both out of the lake.

Elena rubbed her head against Stefan. She could feel him rub her back. That did it! She had to get them out! Elena held on tightly to Stefan, as she swam towards the surface. The higher she got, the harder it felt. She could see a light and with one last shove, she and Stefan surfaced the lake.

Elena kept her tight grip on Stefan, as she swam towards the rocks. During their swim, Stefan started to become more and more conscious. Elena managed to get Stefan and herself on the rocks. She then guided Stefan up the path to the top of the cliff.

Elena sat Stefan down and wrapped her arms around him. She had finally found her true love. "Stefan, it's alright, you're safe," she said, trying to comfort him. Stefan began to moan…"Elena?" "Sshh...yes, Stefan, I'm here, we're together now."

Stefan opened his eyes and looked around their surroundings. "_How did I get out of that safe_?!" "_She saved me_!" he thought to himself. "Elena, how did you do it?!" "How did you know where I was?" Elena sighed with relief, she was so glad to hear Stefan talk. "I thought that I found you, I just had to tell you the truth…or at least tell who I thought was you." "Silas!" Stefan interjected. Elena nodded her head, "Yes, Silas, I could have sworn he was you, at the time."

"And when I found out what he had done to you…I…" Elena started to say. "I wanted to kill him!" "Stefan, you are my world, I can't live without you!" Elena kissed Stefan's forehead. "After all that we have been through, you have been the one to pull me out!" "You're the one that I truly love and need!"

Stefan looked at her in bewilderment. "What about Damon?" "You chose him, you're still in love with him." "No!" Elena cried. "I love the "Stefan" in him." "Damon has always wanted to be a better person around me, and I started to treat him as I would you." "I feel you, when I'm around him." "The only reason that I gave you the cure and "chose" Damon, was so I could make amends for all the hell I have put you through." "I don't deserve your love, Stefan!" "But, I need it!"

"You gave me the cure back, after all that I have done to you, you still care about me, and you still love me!" Elena remarked. "Stefan, we will never be over each other, and there is no reason why we ever should be." Elena and Stefan faces drew closer. Elena wrapped her arms around Stefan and kissed him passionately. She could feel Stefan embracing her as well.

"Awe, how sweet!" "True love conquers all!" came a familiar voice. Stefan and Elena broke their kiss to see Silas standing over them. "I see you did save him, good for you." "I thought you left," Elena hissed. "Only to watch you save him, my disappearance was yet another illusion," Silas snapped back.

"Well, my shadow self, your girlfriend truly loves you, she saved you after all." "Mine would have done the same," Silas remarked. Elena and Stefan looked at him in amazement. "Your true love?" Elena stated. "Yes, she would have done just what you did," Silas said, as he bent his head down.

"Let us go, Silas, we mean nothing to you!" Elena demanded. "Or what?" Silas sneered out. "Or, we'll take you apart!" Elena lashed back. "Elena?!" Stefan said, holding her back. "Just let us go, what can you do with us?!" Stefan shouted. "Just leverage," Silas replied.

Just then, they heard a car driving near the cliff. "Oh, looks like we have company," Silas stated. "We'll just have to mosey on out of here." "Get in the truck!" Silas ordered. Elena helped Stefan up and they got inside the vehicle. Silas looked and could make out Damon in the car. "_You're close, but no dice_!" he muttered out. He then jumped into the truck and drove away in a flash.


	4. Stefan and Elena's Reflections

Chapter 4:

Stefan and Elena's Reflections

As Silas drove, and Elena and Stefan sat in the back, Stefan and Elena could not take their eyes off each other. Stefan was still trying to recollect his thoughts. "Elena, thank you, for saving me," he murmured. Elena sighed, as she replied, "Stefan, I love you!" "I'll always save you!" "I never want anything bad to ever happen to you!" She then added, smiling, "It's about time I save you for a change." Stefan smiled back.

Then, Silas just stopped the truck. "All right, I need to make sure that we're not being followed," he informed, as he opened the car door. "You're not worried that we might try to escape!" Elena sneered. "You're both much too weak to try anything foolish," Silas scoffed back. He then disappeared from sight.

Stefan looked at his and Elena's clothes, they were drenched. Elena was still wearing her jean jacket and summer dress. "You saved me in that?" Stefan said, with a smirk. Elena glanced down at her dress. "Yes, you think that I would care?" she laughed. "Besides, cold water is not as bad for vampires," she added, then realizing how soaked their clothes were. "Stefan, are you sure that you're alright?!" "You were practically paralyzed, you need blood!"

Elena and Stefan looked behind them, and they found a storage box with a few blood bags left. Elena grabbed one, and gave it to Stefan. "I'm sorry it's not animal blood, but Stefan you need it!" "I know…you're right," Stefan replied. Elena opened the bag and handed it to Stefan. Stefan slowly drank the blood out of the bag.

"Elena, you need blood too!" "Saving me took a lot of strength," Stefan worriedly said. Elena grabbed another blood bag and drank from it. "You need more than me, please Stefan, there's only three left," Elena pleaded. Stefan reluctantly took the three bags and drank each one.

"How long have you known Silas was you? "I mean you are his…" Elena started to ask. "Just when I noticed his body was gone," Stefan answered. "I was about to dispose of him, when…" Stefan stopped, as Elena finished, "He confronted you." "Stefan, I'm so sorry," Elena apologized. "Elena, please, it wasn't your fault, any more than it was mine," Stefan calmly stated.

"I still wonder what is going to happen to us," Stefan pondered. Elena looked up at him. "Do you still have the cure?" Stefan asked. Elena's face turned white. "I'm sorry, Elena, but bartering it may be our only way of escape." Tears formed in Elena's eyes. She knew he was right. Yet, she no longer possessed the cure. How could she tell him? "Stefan…" she began. "Stefan, I don't have it anymore!" "What?" Stefan looked at her intensely. "While I was looking for Jeremy, I was attacked by Katherine." "She almost killed me!" "Oh God, Elena, did she hurt you?!" "If she did…I will…" Stefan started to threat. "No, Stefan!" Elena said, as she calmed him down. "Did she take the cure from you?" he asked. Elena sighed, "She took it, literally." "She was too strong for me to fight, so I used the cure and shoved it in her month, choking it down her!" "Katherine, of all people, took the cure."

"Stefan, I'm so sorry!" "Now, we have no chance to get away from him!" Elena cried, as Stefan wrapped his arms around her. "I'm just so thankful that you're not hurt, you're safe!" he said, comforting her. Elena looked up at him. "I know how much the cure meant to you, but even if I did take it, I couldn't be with you!" she exclaimed. "I want that more than anything!" "Having a future with you, and only you!" "I need to be a vampire!" "Stefan," Elena said, as she held his face in her hands. "You're right," Stefan replied. "You said, that if it were your choice, you would want to be with me forever," Elena stated. "I want that, Stefan!"

"When I first turned my feelings back on, and got my humanity back, you were the only person that could reach me," Elena explained. "You're the only one who truly can!" "You told me to focus on one feeling at a time, and I did." "Only, it wasn't just hating Katherine, as I saw your face, I focused on us, and our love." "Our feelings for each other." Stefan looked at her in utter shock. "You were my first feeling!" "Then, of course, I thought of Katherine," Elena remarked.

Elena started to scold herself. "Why did I not see through the sire bond?!" "Why did I hurt you?!" "You're the one person I never want to hurt!" "Why did Damon make me turn everything off?!" Elena screamed. "Hey!" Stefan interrupted. "It wasn't really you!" "Elena, I know that." "Then, I really screwed everything up!" Elena stammered. "I hurt you too!" Stefan interjected. "I never wanted to hurt you, either," he added. "But, I did, anyway." Elena looked sternly at him, "No, Stefan, I pushed you to it." "I was going to tell about the cure from the start," Stefan explained. "I only waited, because I wanted to make sure it was real," he finished." "Why didn't I know that?!" Elena asked herself. "I knew it deep down…that horrible bond ruined me, ruined us!" she screamed.

"Elena, again, it was not your fault," Stefan re-stated. "Can we please not dwell on the past, we're here and now!" he said, as he again, hugged her. "We're together now, that's all that matters," he stated. "You know, I never gave up on our future," Elena murmured. "I could never give up on you!" "I could never give up on you!" Stefan said, repeating her. "I knew someday, we would be together again," Elena added. Stefan smiled, "I felt the same way." He and Elena then kissed each other deeply, with all their feelings exposed. "At lease we're together now!" Elena remarked, as she rested against Stefan. "Wherever we are going, at least I'm with you." Stefan kissed her forehead, as he added, "I'm so glad to be with you!"


	5. Katherine's Reaction

Chapter 5:

Katherine's Reaction

Katherine awoke. She found herself lying on the hallway floor, alone. Elena was nowhere in sight. "That Bitch!" Katherine shouted. "What the hell did she do to me?!" Katherine screamed, as she realized what Elena had done. "The Cure!" "She gave me the cure!" Katherine then put her hand on her heart, expecting to feel it beat once again. She could not feel her heart. She then held her wrist and was horrified to feel a slight pulse. "Oh my God!" "I am Human!" "This can't be happening!" Katherine cried, as she thought of how she expected to receive a "Silas" like-immortality, and now she was turning into a human.

_"I guess it's like becoming a vampire, a slow and steady transformation_,_" _Katherine reasoned with herself. She got up and tried to dash for the door. She was able to, yet her speed was slower. She knew that soon she would not be able to do that anymore. She was slowly loosing her vampire abilities.

Katherine walked outside of the building. She could see the sun was up and thought of taking off her bracelet, to test out her reaction to the sun. When she took off her ring, she could feel no pain. Her skin did not sizzle or start to burn. "Oh my God!" "This is real!"

Katherine then ran to her car. She jumped inside and started driving as fast as the car would go. She knew that now that she was human, she was weak, and she knew that she could not let anyone find her. She was in greater danger than she was ever before.

As Katherine drove, she could make out a car driving close towards the cliff by the lake. It was Damon's car. She then saw Damon with none other than Jeremy Gilbert as his passenger. "_Oh, joy_!" Katherine sarcastically thought. She knew that it would only be matter of time before Damon found out what Elena had done, she'd blab it to everyone! So Katherine pulled over and got out of the car.

"Damon," she called out. Damon turned around saw her walking towards him. "Katherine?" he thought. He knew it couldn't be Elena, she wasn't dressed like that. "Yes, Damon, it's me," Katherine responded. "What are you doing here?" Damon snappidly asked. Katherine stopped in her steps. "_He doesn't know_!" "_He hasn't spoken with Elena, yet_." She thought of playing coy and not breathe a word about what happened, yet she knew it was inevitable.

"Do you want to know what your precious Elena did to me, just now?" Katherine teased. Damon suddenly felt tensed by her words. "What did you do to her?!" he shouted. "Me?!" Katherine hissed back. "More like, what did she do to me?!" "What?!" Damon asked. Katherine suddenly had second thoughts about admitting to Damon what had happened to her. But, she knew that it would come out sooner or later. "Elena gave me the cure." "Apparently she had it all along."

Damon's face turned glowing white. "She what?!" he stuttered. "She gave the cure to me, or more like forced it on me, but no matter," Katherine exclaimed. "So you're…you're…" Damon tried to say. "I'm becoming human," Katherine finished. "Oh, my God!" Damon cried. "You of all people." "Well, it's only temporary," Katherine interjected. "I'll just get turned again." "I have many vampire friends, you know," she said, with a grim smile.

"Where is she now?!" Damon screamed. "I haven't the slightest idea," Katherine answered. "When I woke up, Elena was long gone." "She did not go running back to you, obviously," she sneered. "My guess is she found Stefan and they ran off together." Damon looked up at her in disgust. Deep down, he knew she was right, he just couldn't bring himself to say it. It would only prove her right, he would not give her that satisfaction. "Elena and Stefan are missing," he informed her. "Oh, well that just proves my theory," Katherine laughed. "Silas is free too!" Damon added. Katherine's facial expression changed from laughter to shock. "What?!" "How?!" Damon shrugged, he, himself, didn't know.

Jeremy had enough of just watching them, he quickly got out of the car and ran over to them. "What are you doing here?!" he grimly asked. "Heh," Katherine sneered back. "Ask him," she replied, looking at Damon. "Do you have any idea where they are?" Jeremy asked. "None, what-so-ever," Katherine answered. The three of them just stood them, with no clue at all, as to what was going on.


	6. No Ring

Chapter 6:

No Ring

Elena and Stefan just sat there, holding each other as close as they could. "He appeared as you, you know," Stefan interjected. Elena eyes shot up, as she looked at him. "What?" "He confronted me in your form," Stefan stated. "Oh, my God!" Elena moaned. "He is a shape-shifter!" "Stefan, I am so sorry!" she cried. "Elena, please, how is it your fault?" Stefan asked. "He appeared as me, you, Damon, Caroline, and Jeremy, how were we to know the difference?!" "Silas is very convincing," he finished. "But, still, I hate the fact that you were thrown into the lake!" Elena firmly remarked. "And not only that, he used me to distract you!" she shouted out. "Stefan, I will not let him hurt you again!" "Elena…" Stefan began to say, as he held Elena close to him. "I will never let him hurt you!" "We'll protect each other," Elena stated. "Yes, we will!" Stefan remarked.

They looked outside and saw the clouds lifting revealing the sun. Elena glanced at Stefan's hands. "_No ring_." "Stefan, where is your ring?" Elena cried. Stefan looked at his hand. "It's gone," he mumbled. "Oh, my God." "The sun is coming up!" Elena shouted. She and Stefan started frantically searching all over the truck. "I remember when I was in the safe, my ring was not on me," Stefan explained, trying to remember more. "Silas must have taken it." "Why?" Elena said, as she tried to hold back her tears. "I can't loose you, again," she moaned. "It has to be here!"

As they searched, they could hear footsteps slowly approaching the truck. "Okay, love-birds, it's time to go," came Silas's voice. He walked over and opened the back door. "You monster, what have you done with his ring?!" Elena screamed at him. Silas just started laughing, "Oh, that," he then reached into his jacket pocket and held up the ring. "This?" "Give him his ring!" Elena ordered. "Now!" "Here," Silas replied, as he threw the ring at them. Stefan caught in and hurriedly put it back on, just as the sun came into full view.

"That was too close!" Stefan groaned. "Why did you take his ring?" Elena asked, in a demanding tone. Silas just laughed, "I had to make the impersonation of Stefan real, in order to do that, I had to have his ring." "Because since your form is real, it would further authenticate it," Elena interjected, summing it up.

"Your brothers are on our trail, we must move," Silas stated, flat out. Stefan and Elena starred at him in awe. Their faces glowing with surprise, hope, and dread. They knew the danger that they would be in for trying to rescue them.

Elena and Stefan got out of the truck and started walking along side Silas into the woods.

"Wait," Elena said. "How is Jeremy still here?" "Then again, how are you still here?" she said, looking at Silas. "Is the veil still down?" Stefan sighed, as he put his arm on Elena's shoulder, "Elena, I'm sorry, Bonnie's spell wore off." "What?" Elena looked at him intensely. "How could that happen?" "The only way it could is if…" Elena then gasped, realizing what had happened. "Bonnie's dead?!" "Yes, Bonnie's dead," Silas said in a mocking tone.

"How?" Elena cried. "Probably to bring Jeremy back to life," Silas answered. "The veil is up, believe me I would know." "No!" Elena shouted, as she held her face in her hands. "Elena," Stefan spoke, as she fell into his arms. "Stefan, this can't be happening," she continued. "I know." "But, it is, you both have to face it," Silas remarked.


End file.
